


Walk and Talk

by boomerangarrow



Series: Soltryce Days [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27788140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomerangarrow/pseuds/boomerangarrow
Summary: A discussion between Eleanor and Frederick, a betrothed couple working to get to know each other better.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character
Series: Soltryce Days [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096178
Kudos: 3





	Walk and Talk

Eleanor was a little nervous as she approached the Langenberg estate. A part of her wanted to run, just dimension door away before she could knock, but… She knew that wasn’t really an option. Da’leth had told her to go forward, so here she was, making this whatever-it-was with Freddie work. So instead of leaving, she steeled herself and knocked on the door. The same servant as last time let her in, taking her to the same sitting room as before, and left her waiting in the same quiet.

When Freddie walked in, El put on her charming smile, standing to greet him. “It’s wonderful to see you,” she said softly, a little surprised when he stepped closer and kissed her cheek gently. “I know we talked about getting to know each other better, so I figured we could try and carve out some time?”

Freddie grinned, placing his hands on her shoulders; El could feel herself tense up, but at least it wasn’t a massive flinch. That felt like an improvement. “Of course! I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, Eleanor. Plus, between you and me, I like the idea of getting away from boring meetings for the evening.” His smile was bright and open, much more genuine than Eleanor’s own. “Would you rather spend time here, or go for a walk about the city?”

“I think a walk could be nice. It’s a pleasant day, and…well, I feel like your parents might try to listen in. Nothing against them, but...it does seem a bit their style, all told.” She looked slightly nervous, even as she tried to keep smiling. In her defense, everything was a bit…difficult, at the moment. Try as she might, she still felt a bit awkward.

“You’re not wrong, _Schatz_.” He paused to consider, looking over Eleanor’s apparel. “How about I grab a coat, and then we can take a nice stroll, maybe get some coffee? And catch up on things.”

“That sounds lovely. If you like, I can even dimension door us out, so nobody tries to bother us.” Her smile shifted to something closer to honest, amusement with her own idea clear. The pet name…she could figure that one out later. No need to get too concerned just yet. And…it was sweet, in the way Freddie always seemed to be.

“Tempting as that is, I think the panic that would cause, while amusing, would be far too messy for me to clean up. But I do have a coat by the door, so we can just head out.” He offered her an arm, which she took as they started to leave the estate. After a quick message left with a servant, the two were on their way, chatting idly about the weather until they were far enough from the estate to feel more comfortable. Then they stopped for coffee, sipping at it quietly as they walked in the growing cool of the evening.

“So,” Freddie started eventually, “Evaelyn came to see me the other day.”

“I’m aware. She told me about it after she got back. Not before, of course, because… Well, I’m sure I’d have protested, or insisted to come along. She can be a bit… Overbearing?”

“That’s a way to put it.” He laughed softly, smiling over at her. “Did she tell you what all we talked about, at least?”

“More or less. Mostly that you and her talked about the betrothal a bit, your thoughts on the matter, and that apparently you’re going to be joining us at Blockbrau? Which does sound interesting. You don’t strike me as the kind to go there.”

There was a slight scoff from Freddie as he feigned indignation, looking at her with a dramatic scowl. “Eleanor Teufelskirche, you _wound_ me. I am absolutely the kind to go there, when the mood strikes. Dancing and drinking is always a nice time, when I can get away from the weighty supervision of my father.” He was smiling when he took a sip of his coffee, though, good humor clear.

“It’s a valid concern! I know you can be fun, but I wasn’t sure if you were so bold as to sneak out of the house. You’re too good for that kind of thing, I always thought.”

“Not only are you accusing me of being an angel, you’re implying that you’re a little devil. My betrothed, falling prey to stereotyping us by our lineage! The absolute shame of it all.”

Her hand squeezed his arm a little when he said ‘betrothed,’ that tiniest bit of panic making its way past her calm mask. “I’m just saying that of the two of us, I’m more likely to sneak out for a night of boozing and schmoozing.” She flashed him her own grin, tossing in a wink to be a little hammy with it. “I mean no offense, of course. Just that, well, you may be a little bit tight-laced.”

“The audacity.” He was still smiling and chuckling, even as he scoffed. “But yes, I’m going to do my best to join. Might not be for the whole night, but I’ll do my best. I want to meet your friends, dance with you, the whole thing. If that’s alright with you, of course.”

El quickly brought the coffee up, taking a sip to let herself think. “I think it should be fine. I--I won’t lie, I have some anxiety. Not about you, per se. But about…”

“All of it?” He looked at her, nodding a little. “I understand, Eleanor. It’s stressful. I know I put on a good show, but I have my own anxieties around all of this as well.”

“Really? I hadn’t known. I just thought you were sincerely glad I was the one you were marrying.”

“I mean, in general, I am glad. You’re intelligent, beautiful, a bit of a shit--” He laughed as she swatted his leg with her tail, shaking his head. “And a genuinely interesting person that I enjoy knowing. Like I said, I think we’ll be a good team, and I hope that someday we’ll really grow to love each other. I mean, right now, I do like you, but it’s not exactly in the way of a marriage. More like… Childhood friend.” His shoulders bobbed in a little shrug. “Not that I don’t also find you attractive, but… It’s not really at relationship levels, yet.”

El laughed a little, relief washing over her. The idea that he felt similarly to her was reassuring; it brought peace to a worry she hadn’t fully realized was there. “I appreciate the honesty, Freddie. I’m… I feel about the same. Like, objectively, you’re _extremely_ attractive--”

“ _Extremely?_ Well thank you, _Schatz_ , I do appreciate that.”

She laughed at that, bright and sincere. “Yes, congratulations, you’re hot. Not the point, though. The point is that I feel the same. I need to kind of… Get to know you more, I guess. The real you, not the version of yourself you are when you think your parents are listening. Which is why we’re doing this, really.”

“Fair enough.” He sipped his own coffee, taking a moment to consider. “Evie and I were discussing the betrothal a bit. I think she’s happier knowing my thoughts on it, which I have shared with you. And we talked about, ah, waiting on the wedding part for a little bit? Maybe a year or so. I don’t mean to speak for you, but I figured you might like that too.”

There was a long pause as El processed, taking a long sip of coffee as she considered. “That does sound nice. Waiting a bit, I mean. Nothing against you, but… It sounds nice. I think that’d be wonderful, if we can convince everyone.” There was a little doubt in her voice, even with the hopeful words.

“I thought so too. So if all three of us present as a front, I think it could work.” He smiled at her, bright and easy. “But enough about that. I think we could do with a more fun topic of conversation.”

“I agree. What would you like to talk about instead?”

“I mean, we could talk about the kinds of fun you like to get up to. You never mentioned drinking and debauchery in your letters, Eleanor. You’ve been holding out on me!”

She laughed again, shaking her head. “Alright, alright. Evie and I have been known to go to Blockbrau and drink, even before we were really _allowed_ to. And lots of dancing, lots of… Questionable choices.” She blushed a little, unsure of how to broach that topic. “I’ve been a bit of a mess.”

“Questionable choices? Sounds like some fun stories you’re not telling me.” He grinned, nudging her gently with his elbow.

“I mean, do you _really_ want to hear those? They’re not exactly sweet stories of me being a perfect little angel, Freddie.”

“I’m not going to force you to tell me anything, but I can offer you some of my own stories in exchange.” He laughed as El’s eyebrows flew up, nudging her again as her cheeks turned pinker. “What, did you think I was _that_ boring? I’m a little offended.”

“No! I just--I thought you might be more old-fashioned, like your parents.” She giggled, squeezing his arm a little more happily than before. “I mean… My stories aren’t that interesting, honestly. I tend to, uh, leave pretty soon after. No patience for the boring chit-chat, usually.”

“Oh, love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of thing? A little heartbreaker, I see.” He was still smiling, a bit of a blush rising to his cheeks. “I’ve… I’ve spent a few nights out, here and there. I tend to stay until the morning, though. I’ve never brought someone back to the estate, for obvious reasons.”

“So polite. Do you cook them breakfast in the morning?”

“Occasionally. I’m not so good at making breakfast, I’ll admit, but I try. At least some coffee for the ladies before I go--I’m not a _monster,_ Eleanor.”

She snorted, grinning. “Clearly not. Just ladies, I take it?”

He laughed again, enjoying the way that seemed to break her decorum. “Alas, I am _tragically_ heterosexual, it’d seem. Only the ladies for me.”

“Men are truly missing out. I’m not so choosy, although I do tend to like men more.” She gave him a sly little grin as she saw the blush grow on his cheeks. “It hasn’t been all that many either way, though. Just… Questionable choices, like I said. Usually after playing drinking games.”

“Really, drinking games?” He was a little relieved to not dwell on that topic too long--he wasn’t ashamed, nor interested in shaming Eleanor, but talking so openly about sex was a bit difficult for him. “Thing is, I don’t think I believe that. I have a hard time picturing you playing Hour of Honor.”

“Oh, not only do I _play,_ I _win._ Evie and I have never lost a game of Hour of Honor, ever. It’s a point of pride for us.” She laughed again, her smile bright and natural as she looked up at him. “You’ll get a chance to see when we go to Blockbrau. I promise, it’s quite the sight. Maybe we could even face off.”

He shook his head, eyes crinkling as he grinned. “I don’t think I’d want to go against you, Eleanor. You’re scary when you get competitive. Or did you not notice I’d stopped playing board games with you?”

She just laughed in response, shaking her head. It was nice to laugh, to feel somewhat close to normal. She had spent so long worrying about Da’leth, about Evie, about school and her plans and everything else. The last time she’d had a normal conversation was… Fuck, she couldn’t even remember. Years, it seemed. So having the chance to relax with Freddie was… A relief, really. A wonderful break from a complex life. “You’re not wrong, I’m a force to be reckoned with. Especially when I team up with Evie.”

“And it’s one of those qualities I very much enjoy watching, _Schatz_.” The term of endearment fell from his mouth so easily, so naturally, that it had sort of slipped past her the first few times. Even now that she had caught it… She didn’t especially mind. It was nice, and, well, normal. More normal than anything she’d had before, at the very least. “Honestly, I could probably use that in my own life. Being so fierce, I mean. I tend to be a bit easy-going sometimes, which Father says isn’t becoming of a diplomat.” He rolled his eyes, taking a large gulp of coffee.

“Well, your father is also a bit of a dick sometimes, so I think you would do well to ignore him. You’re not as rigid as I am, and that’s definitely an advantage. I panic when the unexpected happens, sometimes, and it’s… A bit of a problem. Being flexible would serve me better, I think.”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to learn from each other.” He smiled at her again, soft and genuinely happy. It amazed her sometimes, how much Freddie seemed to genuinely like her. She had no idea what she’d done to manage that, let alone deserve it.

“I suppose we will.” Her smile was soft as well, and she squeezed his arm again as she looked up. She’d forgotten how tall he was, honestly. After a moment, though, she felt her face warm up, and she went to drink her coffee instead of try to understand what that could mean.

They walked like that for a while, chit-chatting idly, long past the point of their cups of coffee being empty. It was dark out, and Eleanor was surprisingly disappointed by that fact. She’d been enjoying their time together, and was surprised that she wasn’t ready for it to end. Eventually, though, they made their way back towards the Langenberg estate.

As they slowed to a stop near the gates, El hesitated, hand still on Freddie’s arm. “I guess this is where I leave you for the night,” she said softly, looking up at him again.

“I guess so,” he agreed, reaching to cover her hand with his. “It is getting a bit late for us to be out and about, I’d imagine.” But he didn’t pull away, instead just letting his hand rest over hers.

“Yeah. I just… I kind of don’t want this to end yet.” She shifted, taking a moment to hold his hand properly. “I know that’s a bit selfish and silly, considering, but. Still.”

Freddie sighed, looking down at their laced fingers for a moment. “I understand the feeling.” He let the silence lapse, then glanced back to El’s face. “May I kiss you?”

El just blinked for a moment, completely surprised. That wasn’t what she’d expected at all. More than that, she hadn’t expected the idea to sound so… _Nice._ “Yeah,” she said softly, smiling. “I think I’d like that very much.” Before he could finish coming to her, though, she stood up on her toes to press her lips against his. It was strange, and a little different than what she’d experienced in the past--less hurried, for starters. There was a bit of lust mixed in, but… Not as much as she’d known before. Once they broke apart, she smiled, flushing enough that her ears turned pink at the tips. “That was nice.”

Freddie smiled back, wide and easy. “It was, yeah.” He closed the distance, giving her another brief, warm kiss. “Not a bad start for us, I think.”

“Not bad at all.” She laughed softly, feeling almost giddy. That was _definitely_ new. “Now I’m _absolutely_ not wanting this to end.”

He glanced back to the estate, biting his lip for a moment. “You mentioned dimension door, earlier--what exactly does that do?”

“I can teleport myself and someone else about five hundred feet in an instant.” She tilted her head, eyes narrowing as she smiled. “Are you really thinking of sneaking me in?”

“I’m _considering_ it. I mean… Then we could have some, uh, time to ourselves.” His face turned red, and he gave her a hopeful little smile. “If you were interested, of course. No pressure.”

She went up on her toes, kissing his cheek gently. “I think that could be _very_ fun,” she murmured, smiling. “I can meet you in the sitting room and you can show me to somewhere we could have that time to ourselves, maybe. Does that sound good?”

“I think,” he breathed, “that that’s a perfect plan.” He kissed her one more time for good measure, a thumb coming up to stroke along her cheek for a moment. “Give me about ten minutes, so I can ask for some food for us, and then… I’ll see you there, alright, _Schatz_?”

“Sounds perfect.” Her cheeks were red as she embraced him, then watched him head inside. As casually as she could, she made her way around the fenced perimeter until she could see the sitting room. Then she waited, gathering up her nerve and calming herself before she chickened out and left. Once she saw Freddie walk in, she murmured the words and stepped through the arcane portal, appearing next to him in an instant. “Hi,” she breathed, still smiling.

“Hello, gorgeous.” He grinned, pulling her in for another kiss. She leaned in, enjoying the contact, but broke it after a moment. “Right, right. Privacy. Let me show you to my rooms.” His cheeks were pink again, but he took her hand in his and grinned. “But you have to keep quiet until we’re there, alright?”

“I swear,” she murmured, squeezing his hand gently. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d snuck around, but it was sort of delightful at the moment. And while she knew she could just cast invisibility, it was honestly more fun this way. Once they made it to his room, she burst into laughter, tugging Freddie in for another kiss. “I think we’ll be safe, especially if you’re far from your parents’ wing.”

“We’re set,” he replied, grinning. “Would you like a tour of my room? I try to be a good host.”

“I think a good host would just take me to his damn bed already,” she teased, tugging on his shirt gently. “Unless you really want to wait that much more?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Right away, _Schatz_. I would hate to keep you waiting.”

\-----

El blinked groggily in the light of dawn, yawning gently. After a moment, she realized--this wasn’t her dorm. This wasn’t anywhere at the Academy, in fact. This was… Freddie’s room. Huh. Before any surprised panic could set in, she took a breath, then another. And then she felt an arm shift around her waist, pulling her in a little closer. Warm skin pressed against her side and back, and instead of panicking… She felt nice. Warm, and safe, and more comfortable than she had been in a while.

Freddie stirred behind her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder gently. “You’re up early,” he mumbled, squeezing her for a moment. “What’s that about, _Schatz_?”

“Sun’s in my eyes,” she mumbled, bringing his hand up to her face to kiss it gently. “And I probably need to be going soon.”

“You won’t stay for breakfast?” He sounded a little sad, pulling her tighter against him for a moment. “I hate to see you just leave.”

“I think your parents would pitch a fit if I were here for breakfast, _Sonnenschein_.” She shifted, turning over her shoulder to face him with a smile. “And while it would be hilarious to watch, I don’t think either of us want to be a part of that.” Quietly, she kissed him, pulling him close for a long moment. Then she pulled back suddenly, eyes wide--she could hear Evie’s voice in her head.

**“El....did you stay somewhere last night? Are you okay?"**

**“Fuck. I’m… I’m not at the Academy, currently. Give me about thirty or so minutes. Have breakfast and coffee ready. I’ll explain once I’m there.”** Her face was red as she looked at Freddie apologetically. “I can’t tell if Evie’s going to be pissed or amused, but… I really should get going.”

“Probably the latter. She… She mentioned, uh… Giving us her blessing?” His face was bright red, lip catching in his teeth. “I didn’t--I hadn’t intended to do anything so forward, but… Then things were nice, and I wanted you, and--”

She took his face in her hand, shushing him for a moment before kissing him again. “She’s such a fucking jackass. I hadn’t been aware of that, but. Know that I wanted this. I wanted you. Regardless of anything she might have said.” She paused again, face going red as she heard Evie’s voice a second time.

**First there was laughter, bright and obnoxious, before she spoke again. “Are you with Freddie?! That dog, he actually--” And then just more laughter, until the message ended.**

**“I will personally stab you--”** She paused, catching Freddie’s concerned expression. **“No, not you, _Sonnenschein_ , Evie--because you’re screaming in my head. We’ll talk when I get back. Now fuck off.” **She sighed heavily, face red as she buried it in Freddie’s neck. “I really need to go,” she grumbled, pressing a kiss against his skin. “But this was wonderful. I’m a little sad I can’t stay, if I’m being honest. I’ve never… Stayed over somewhere. With someone.” Her face was warm as she hugged him close.

“It was nice, having you stay.” He squeezed her again, kissing the top of her head. “We should do this again sometime. If you want.”

“I’d like that a lot.” With a sigh, she finally pulled away from his embrace to get up and start gathering clothes. “Next time, I’ll try to bring a change of clothes.”

“If you like, I’ll loan you a shirt,” he offered, sitting up in the bed with a smile. “Although I can’t lie, I’m enjoying the view this morning.”

“I wouldn’t mind a new shirt, just because mine’s wrinkled to shit,” she murmured, rolling her eyes at his little compliment. “Don’t appreciate too much, or else I’ll never leave.”

“Right, right, of course.” He laughed again, going to a wardrobe to pull out a dark blue shirt that looked like it would fit her. “Will this do, you think?”

She took a moment to look him up and down, then walked over to kiss him. “Should be perfect, _Sonnenschein_. Thank you.” With that, she took a moment to get dressed, coat draped over her arm. “I do hate to leave, but… We both have things to get done, unfortunately.”

“Give it time, _Schatz_.” He smiled, placing his hands on her cheeks for a moment. “You’re nicer than you admit, you know. And I do like that nickname. 'Sunshine.' It’s cute.” He kissed her forehead again, smiling. “But I’ll let you go. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Evie’s upset, either.”

“I mean, she was laughing, but… Still a little scary, if I’m being honest. “She went up on her toes to kiss him one last time, still smiling. “Alright, I really do need to be going. But… I’ll see you soon, alright?”

“Sounds good. I might get a bit more sleep, if that’s alright.”

“Go for it. We were up a bit late.” She laughed softly, then straightened herself up before casting Dimension Door and stepping out onto the street. It took her about thirty minutes to get back to the Soltryce Academy, and she dimension doored up into her dorm as soon as she was close enough, taking about three seconds to catch her breath before stepping out to face Evie.


End file.
